


In The Night

by SmokeyDogs_05



Series: A Family's Love (Gaara Week 2019) [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gaara ponders the past, Gaara-centric, Gen, Getting acceptance for the past, Kazekage Gaara (Naruto)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28701027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokeyDogs_05/pseuds/SmokeyDogs_05
Summary: In which Gaara relives the past, and finds peace.
Series: A Family's Love (Gaara Week 2019) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103798
Kudos: 4





	In The Night

It's been years, but he still paces the floors of old empty hallways in the building. He knows that they should probably do something with so much empty space, but the part of him that leads the way down these abandoned halls wants to keep silent. There are no people around here.

Only ghosts.

And he wants to keep it that way.

Gaara turns the corner and waits a moment in a doorframe. He can see it. The small redheaded child who comes around a different corner to be in the middle of the room, to get attention, to get love. Instead as he yells out for someone to come, no one does. Gaara waits until the apparition leaves before turning away. He always waits for the child to leave. He always listens to the pleas, watches the heart-aching scene before him before turning to leave alongside the child.

The ghost of his former self melts away, ash in the wind.

He keeps going down the halls. Keeps going down to see old distant memories rise and fade away. His father at his desk, studying documents like those he now studies. Yashamaru carefully picking up glass after one of his episodes. He breezes by those scenes, they don't ache like they used to. Not after the truth came out.

The ones with Temari and Kankuro were the worst.

He could see the fear in their eyes and could see how they would shake and plead, but never truly shy away. Only enough to make sure they scraped by. But they never turned away from him. Never hated him.

They still don't, and he knows he doesn't deserve it.

In the night these dark dangerous memories used to overtake him, used to push him down, down, down, into the darkness below. They used to try and break him.

It's different now that he has seen these shadows, seen these apparitions writhe and fade before him. He has seen the past and accepted it. Has let go of what he has done wrong.

He is a sinner, and he accepts this. He isn't looking for salvation.

In the night, Gaara finds his darkness and learns to love it.


End file.
